Some Discrimination—
But Not the Whole Story
The Pew Research Center, in association with National Public Radio, recently conducted a survey on racial attitudes in America. According to the survey, a majority of African Americans believe that blacks “almost always” or “frequently” face discrimination when applying for jobs (67 percent) or when trying to rent an apartment or buy a house (65 percent). Still, most African Americans don’t see discrimination as the reason many black people don’t get ahead. When asked to choose between two statements, three in ten said that “racial discrimination was the main reason why many black people can’t get ahead these days,” while 53 percent said that “blacks who can’t get ahead in this country are mostly responsible for their own condition.” These figures mark a decided shift from the mid-1990s, when majorities of African Americans consistently cited racial discrimination as the main reason for a lack of black progress. Source: Pew Research Center, in association with National Public Radio, September-October 2007.
 

Overturning Roe v. Wade?
Americans’ attitudes toward abortion have been remarkably stable for decades. Small numbers have either supported abortion in all circumstances or flatly opposed it, with the vast majority positioned somewhere in between. According to a new Pew Research Center poll, 21 percent of Americans say that abortion should be legal in all cases, 15 percent say it should be illegal in all cases, and 56 percent say it depends on the circumstances. In general, Americans want abortion to remain legal, but they support significant restrictions. According to a November Harris Interactive poll, the vast majority (69 percent) do not think that Roe v. Wade will be overturned in the next few years. Source: Harris Interactive, November 2007.

Market Minority
The stock market’s latest ups and downs will likely have limited direct impact on most Americans. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 46 percent of Americans don’t have any money in the market; among those that do, most have long-term investments such as retirement accounts. Only 7 percent say that they trade stocks and other funds regularly. These regular traders differ from the general public in some predictable ways. Thirty-eight percent have annual household incomes of $100,000 or more, compared to 15 percent of the public. They are younger and more highly educated; nearly half are college grads, compared to 28 percent of the public. They are also more likely to identify as Republicans (40 percent) than Democrats (24 percent). Source: Pew Research Center, September-October 2007.

Prospects for Middle East Peace
This week the U.S. government hosted representatives from 50 countries and international organizations at a Middle East peace conference. But few people were optimistic about its prospects. In a July-August Gallup survey, just 31 percent of Israelis said that a permanent peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians could be achieved; a majority (56 percent) said it could not. In the same poll, Palestinians were even more pessimistic: only 21 percent said a permanent peace could be achieved, while 71 percent said it could not. Americans seem nearly as skeptical. In a February 2007 Gallup poll, only 34 percent of Americans agreed that there would “come a time when Israel and the Arab nations will be able to settle their differences and live in peace.” Sixty-three percent said such a time would not come. Source: The Gallup Organization (U.S. survey was conducted in February 2007; the surveys in Israel and the Palestinian territories were conducted in July-August 2007.)